Coldplay in India: Amid growing controversy, ticketing giant BookMyShow has responded to allegations of ticket black-marketing for Coldplays upcoming concerts in Navi Mumbai, scheduled for January 2025. The companys CEO Ashish Hemrajani and technical head were summoned by the Mumbai Police following complaints of illegal reselling of tickets for the British bands Music Of The Spheres World Tour. The summons came after an advocate filed a complaint, accusing BookMyShow of facilitating ticket scalping, where tickets priced at ₹2,500 were being resold for as much as ₹3 lakh.BookMyShow denies allegationsBookMyShow has categorically denied any involvement with unauthorized platforms that are allegedly selling tickets at inflated prices. The company has filed a police complaint, distancing itself from the illegal resale of concert tickets on websites such as Viagogo and Gigsberg. BookMyShow has no association with any unauthorised ticket-selling or reselling platforms, a spokesperson for the company said, urging fans to avoid purchasing tickets from these sources, as they may be invalid or fake.High demand causes site crashThe controversy began when Coldplay fans attempted to purchase tickets on September 22, the day they were released. Due to overwhelming demand, with over 13 million users logging in simultaneously, the BookMyShow website crashed before the sale even began. Many fans reported that their queue position exceeded 500,000 when the site came back online. Despite these technical difficulties, BookMyShow added a third concert date to meet the demand, which was also met with enthusiastic response.Efforts to ensure fair ticket distributionIn response to the overwhelming demand, BookMyShow stated that they took several measures to ensure fairness in the ticket-buying process. Weve worked hard to ensure every fan had a fair chance to secure tickets, capping it at four tickets per user across all shows, the company said. They also provided clear booking guides and communicated transparently through official channels to manage expectations.The platforms queueing system, though causing brief delays, was designed to manage high traffic and ensure minimal disruption for fans eager to attend Coldplays concerts. Despite this, the illegal resale of tickets persisted, leading to public outcry and complaints.BookMyShow reiterated its opposition to ticket scalping, a practice that is illegal and punishable by law in India. The company is fully cooperating with police authorities in their investigation of the alleged black-marketing of tickets. We have not only filed a complaint with the police but are also proactively working with them to provide complete support in the investigation, the spokesperson added.BookMyShow emphasized that purchasing tickets from unauthorized sources is risky and could result in fans being denied entry to the concert with invalid or fake tickets.
